The Show
by Dlbn
Summary: After Soubi puts puts Minami Ritsu him into a coma instead of killing him, its up to Aoyagi Ritsuka and Septimal Moon to take advantage of Ritsu's condition to bring Seimei to his knees.
1. Preparations

Dlbn: This is going to be a two-part story. This chapter for today, and the ending for Christmas Day.

Dedication: Happy birthday to Ritsuka!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Akira and one other character I can't give the name away to because it will effect plot. You'll recognize it as new/from my Halloween fic this year. Everyone and everything else canon to Loveless belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off this.

000

This wasn't going to work. This was a waste of time and effort, Ritsuka thought to himself as reports of Minami Ritsu's death played on the nightly news on Kio and Akira's too small television. His pseudo-fathers were barely paying attention, using it jut as background noise while he trio completed homework. As soon as Ritsuka heard that _a Gora sensei was murdered,_ he tuned in his ears to the reports. He'd been waiting for this, having been port of the planning meeting with Zero and Minami's Septimal Moon. Now he just had to wait on a text from Kunugi to summon him to the school, claiming to have found documentation naming him Ritsu's successor. He news spilled what little info they'd been slipped by a Unit who's Sacrifice worked there as a tech.

"They've already had a successor named?" Kio scratched at his bangs. "It's like he knew or something."

"They said he was in his late fifties." Akira pointed out. "It's not that uncommon for older people to make wills and plan for their end later in life. Or even during a mid-life crisis."

Ritsuka wanted to tell Kio to be quiet and stop poking holes in the story, but he'd spark the artist's suspicions and blow everything. He wasn't sure what-if any-spy bugs and cameras his brother had ordered his Fighter to install when the flat was vacant. If he even knew where his displaced brother had retreated to once their mother threw him out.

"You're quiet, Ritsuka." Kio observed. "What's your thoughts?"

Although they were obviously older and assumed more parent-like roles over him since he moved in, the two still treated him like an equal and included him in almost everything they did or discussed.

"I wonder how the other faculty and the students are going to react. Like, could someone be after them, too? Or was it personal?" He spoke slowly as he tried to formulate realistic thought. "I mean, everyone was freaking out about that kind of stuff after I found…found Seimei…"

One slip up that the boy hadn't _really_ belonged to Seimei, and game over.

"Poor kids must be petrified." Akira agreed, lifting a weight off Ritsuka's shoulders that said his words weren't believable enough.

"If I went there, I probably wouldn't be able to believe it." Kio shook his head.

Hopefully public enemy number one wouldn't share the sentiment.

000

Ritsuka, Yoji, and Natsuo-the Zero twins- lounged together in Soubi's otherwise abandoned apartment. Sunday meant no school, but Septimal Moon and the Academy were still very much active. Ritsuka hadn't gotten the _go_ text from Kunugi yet, and Nagisa-sensei hadn't summoned Zero to _help_ _with her_ _grief at losing such a close friend._ Or someone she not-so-secretly wanted to be with.

"Man, this blows." Yoji complained. "It's been three days. When is it going to be go time already?"

Age had only shortened his patience threshold. Call it being a teenager like the sensei tried to do, but he hadn't had it as a preteen-or a child-ether. And probably wouldn't as an adult. Much more like Nagisa than either dared to admit.

"Who knows?" Natsuo was the more laid back of the two, but it was a fine line he walked on. "When they summon us, they summon us. Just enjoy the peace and quiet while we have it."

"Peace and quiet with Yoji around? Impossible." Ritsuka chided. "What a fantasy world you live in."

"Why, you…!" Yoji lunged, pinning him to the couch in a wrestling move obviously ripped off tv or a lousy video game.

" _Off_ , Zero." Ritsuka ordered, glaring up at the mint neko.

"Well, look who's up." Natsuo rolled his one visible eye. "Morning, Loveless. How nice of you to join us."

Ritsuka sighed, pushing his bangs off to the side and cocking his head the other direction at the other. "What gave me away?" He wondered.

"The order. _Zero_." Natsuo pointed out. "Ritsuka never calls us by name, no matter how annoyed, unless he's referring to us together. Meaning _you_ have to be Loveless, and now I have to deal with your ass for the rest of the night."

Ritsuka snorted. "He can come back at any time, just say the word. But seriously, Yoji, get the hell off me."

"You heard him, Yoji." Natsuo tugged on his brother's sleeve. "I'm not fighting him in here."

"Fine, fine. You're no fun. None of you." He glared at Ritsuka with that one, flopping back onto the couch like a pouting toddler.

Ritsuka blinked, sighing before closing his eyes. After a minute or two, he shook his head lightly and rubbed at his temples.

"Ugh…you gotta stop lunging at me like that, Yoji." He complained. "I don't _mind_ when Loveless comes out to play, but it's kind of draining to swap back and forth like that so often."

"Maybe you should get on some meds to clear that up for ya."

Ritsuka glared. A therapist-he'd been unable to see Katsuko-sensei for a few years now thanks to changes in his father's insurance plan-had deemed that he'd made up having a second personality. He called it a manifestation of all the negative emotions Ritsuka felt, that he faked the other him, so he could act upon these emotions with little to no recourse in his personal life. He hadn't told Kio and Akira, since they'd yank him out of therapy and his father would thus yank him out of their care. But it was offensive. He'd even showed the therapist how they could swap back and forth, but he still believed Ritsuka made it up. It was easier to pretend that his client was a fool than that his client had a legitimate psychological problem. It was embarrassing, and Ritsuka often had to fight to keep Loveless from coming out and making a real fool out of them both, but he let the shrink ramble on for now to keep him happy. If he fought too much. He feared he'd have the teen locked away.

"You know why I can't…its not that simple, Yoji, you know that…"

"Yeah, Loveless is you, you are him. I get it. More than your shrink does, anyway. You've hid and denied you own true name and nature for so long that its forced itself out as a different entity." Yoji rolled his eyes. "But eventually you gotta stop playing _woe as me_ and find a way to merge."

Ritsuka sighed, slinking down on the couch and pulling out his phone to check for the _go_ text. "I would if I could…"

The trio of teens fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence until Ritsuka received a text around five that his father had shown up at Kio's apartment and the neko had to come back and deal with him because Kio was _not_ going to. As someone who fought to be a part of his daughter's life-that whole thing was a debacle-he couldn't fathom how Ritsuka's father would fight so hard to _not_ be in his.

000

Akira had picked Ritsuka up as soon as he got out of class to take him home to deal with his father and Kio. The elder Aoyagi was uncharacteristically quiet as he stared into a cup of tea Kio had made him.

"He won't talk or _do_ anything. I tried putting on the tv, but it seemed to make it worse." Kio complained the moment the other two walked into the door.

Ritsuka ignored him as he walked over to the couch. "Dad?" He asked, surprising even himself.

He rarely called him anything other than father, and Loveless exclusively called him by his first name. How Aidien never caught up on the subtle changes in the personality's wording was beyond him. Kio and Akira picked it up the first time a change happened, as did Zero. His school friends were oblivious as ever because Loveless rarely wanted to deal with them-particularly, Yuiko-but he briefly wondered if his brother or Soubi would be able to tell the differences, too. Calling him _dad_ seemed to have the desired effect, because Aidien's tired eyes shifted up to him.

"Oh. You came home." He greeted.

"Kio…said you were here…what's going on? You're acting weird."

"Have you heard the news lately?"

"What news?"

Did he have an affair on his new girlfriend with a receptionist? Again.

"Gora…the sensei…"

"Yeah, I heard about the murder…why?"

"I…I went to school with him. Minami. He…was a little off, but a decent guy. We were friends for a while post-graduation, but we lost touch…I…"

Great, his father was plagued with guilt of not keeping into contact with his now dead former friend. Just like he'd been plagued before by dreams of a woman scolding him for not being in Ritsuka's life enough. So, he came to seek out his teenage son for…guidance? He wasn't sure why his father would come to him of all people.

"Why come to me?" Ritsuka fixed his bangs into a style he knew Loveless hated.

"I'm…" He blinked, seemingly unknowing himself.

Ritsuka searched his eyes for hints of a spell and rolled his eyes when he found one.

"Alright, you've had your fun." He sighed. "Look, dad, I'm sorry about the loss of your friend, but I really don't know what I can do about it. He's dead, time to move on." He hauled his father to his feet. "You feel bad, I get it. But its too late now." He pulled him towards the door. "You didn't even show this much remorse with _Seimei_ dying, so don't waste it on someone you have no real ties to anymore. Okay, okay." He shoved him out the door. "Glad we could have this talk. Amia is probably waiting up for you, wondering where you are. I'd get going before she thinks you're sleeping with a client and ditches you completely. Nice talk, bye now." He shut the door behind him, leaning against it and wiping off his forehead with a hand.

"What in the hell was that about?" Kio demanded, fists on his hips. "That was heartless, even for you, Loveless."

"What?" Ritsuka wondered. "No, no, it's me. Not Loveless." He replied. "Sorry…"

"What did you do that for?" Akira asked as a car started up outside. "Your father came to you for consoling, and you just…"

"That wasn't my father. Not really, anyway." Ritsuka sighed. "I'm sorry, but you wouldn't understand…"

"What wouldn't we understand? Someone that just looks like your father? Looking for you? That's creepy…" Kio informed. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" A hand went to his forehead. "Maybe we should see your therapist…"

"Anything but that quack." Ritsuka groaned, feeling Loveless bubbling close to the surface. "Dad was being controlled by someone that was trying to use me to see if Minami really is dead."

"Why would you know if he wasn't?"

"He's…I know him. He's dad's friend, that's true. But he raised Soubi…"

"Oh…so _that's_ who we're talking about…"

"Kio?" Akira asked.

"Soubi's…his past is complicated, but he told me some things." Kio shuddered. "Minami Ritsu…he never told me the name, but…"  
"It's complicated." Ritsuka replied. "Just, please, if anyone like my father or someone else comes here claiming to want to talk to me and acts like _that_ , make them go away or wait outside."

"You can't handle this kind of thing, Ritsuka…"

"No, but _he_ can." He tapped on his head. "I'm going to go take a bath…okay?"

"Are you in trouble?" Kio cocked an eyebrow.

"No…but…Soubi might be…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you. Need to know basis. Please, just when I leave without warning, don't go raising alarms. I'll be back. I just…have something to do…" His phone buzzed. "I promise, I'll explain when I come home with Soubi."

 _ **It's go time.**_ A text from Kunugi read. _**Are you ready, Loveless?**_

"You're going after him?" Kio asked. "We'll go with you."

"No." Ritsuka denied. "Remember when you went with us to the Academy and they sent you to the hot springs?"

"Yes…?"

"That's where I'm going. Even if you bring me, you can't go in…"

Kio's lips pressed into a fine line. "At least let us go to Gora with you…we'll stay away from the school."

"I'll have Zero with me. I'll be fine."

"Who?"

"Oh…uh…Yoji and Natsuo."

"Not more of this codename-magic mumbo-jumbo." Kio groaned. "I thought that shit was done with Seimei finally letting Soubi go."

"Only…he hasn't." Ritsuka admitted.

"What?'

Ritsuka put his hands over his mouth, letting Loveless take over so he wouldn't say something stupid. Loveless adjusted his bangs before turning his attention to Kio.

"Can't keep his mouth shut." He sighed. "It's nothing, Kio. Let us handle it. Okay?"

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I have to." Loveless admitted with an uncharacteristically sad grin. "I'm going to shower, but I have to go in the morning. Don't be surprised if the twins try and break the front door down soon. They'll be getting a text, as well."

"Loveless…" Kio asked after the neko made it to the hallway. "What kind of trouble had you two gotten into?"

He chuckled. "Nothing we can't handle, Kio. Have a little faith, would you?"

The lovers shared a look as Loveless went down the hall and entered the bathroom, whistling to himself. He shut the door behind him once he was inside.

"What in the hell were you thinking? Don't go blabbing all our secrets! You know better!" He glared at himself in the mirror, but he was really trying to glare at Ritsuka.

The Sacrifice had retreated into his mind to force himself to remain quiet. The alter-personality sighed.

"Look, let's just take a hot bath and relax until the twins show up. Then we can plan our next move, but we're not letting them talk us into leaving in the morning."

" _I almost blew it_." Ritsuka whispered back to his other self.

"I know. That's why I came out, to stop you from doing so. A lot of work and planning went into this. I trust those two as much as you do, but if Seimei and Akame have gotten to Aidien, who knows who else they can get to?"

Ritsuka didn't reply to that, perfectly content to take what they both called a _nap_ in the deep recesses of his mind while Loveless handled his physical body. His eyes slid closed as Loveless sat in the warm water he'd set into the tub while scolding his other self. They had a long journey ahead of them, and they needed to rest as much as they could before Zero showed up to ruin everything.

000

Kio and Akira had been true to the greenette's word. Kio had paid for the tickets for themselves and the three boys to get to Gora. Nagisa and Kunugi Asitai were waiting for them outside the station when the three nekos, accompanied by the adults, exited the station.

"Friends, Ritsuka?" Asitai wondered.

"Kio and Akira. I live with them." Ritsuka informed.

"Ah, a pleasure. He's said a lot about you."

"And you are…?" Kio asked.

"Acting headmaster, in light of certain…circumstances." Asitai blushed as red as his hair. "Kunugi Asitai. My partner, Sagan Nagisa, and my fiancé, Shenai Mirai." He introduced the other two.

"You two look like hell." Nagisa scolded the twins. "Don't you know how to get rest before a big trip? I didn't raise you to be complete morons, did I?"

"She's…ah…their mother…" Ritsuka explained quickly.

"I see where Yoji gets his personality from." Akira observed.

Kunugi chuckled. "Just don't tell them that. They'll deny it."

"Can't say I blame them…" Kio added.

Mirai cracked a small smirk and chuckled as well, but he kept the appearance of a respectful Fighter.

"Welcome to Gora." Mirai greeted finally. "Are you escorting the boys to the Academy as well?"

"We promised we wouldn't." Akira informed. "I guess last time Kio came, he was turned away to a Hot Springs."

"Apologies." Asitai answered, not breaking his grin. "Why don't you two at least come to the school for dinner? We're expecting quite a few guests for the funeral. What's a couple more mouths? At least get some food in you before you take a six-hour trip home."

"And…you won't send us out the moment we get there?" Kio folded his arms over his chest.

"Considering the circumstances and Ritsu's departure, the school doors have been opened to all guests interested in paying respects to our beloved headmaster." Asitai informed.

Ritsuka tried not to laugh as Loveless completely lost it inside their head. The others knew about him, yes, but saw him as nothing more than the Fighter side of the unpaired Sacrifice coming out to play when he was in danger. Being a doctor, Asitai seemed to understand that they were one and the same person inside the same body, but his specialty was neurology and not psychiatry, so who knew how little he understood of the situation.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while." Akira offered.

"Sure." Kio sighed. "Just _please_ don't make me regret coming here…"

As guilt and a bit of apprehension set in, Ritsuka couldn't help but regret letting the civilians come. He only hoped they didn't get caught up in the crosshairs.

000

Ritsuka was more than mortified halfway through dinner when Mikado and Tokino pulled him aside to talk, insisting they meet alone when Kio insisted on tagging along. Promising he'd be okay and brief got him out of the awkwardness of Kio and Akira learning the truth and becoming liabilities. Zero was going to go o ease the artist's worries, but well-worded scolding that wasn't quite scolding from Mikado changed their minds.

"I'm not sure if I should be speaking to you or Loveless." Mikado began. "Since I'm sure he'll be the one handling things…"

"You don't think I can handle this on my own?" Ritsuka folded his arms over his chest.

"Because you can't." Loveless teased.

"Quiet you." Ritsuka scolded his other self. 'What do you want, Moonless?"

"This…won't be very easy. You must over ride Seimei's orders with your own. We're certain Soubi bound himself to you instead of Seimei when we battled. But without confirmation for him, it may just be a shot in the dark."

"So, you're here to tell me that it's a fifty-fifty shot that I get Soubi back, and therefore am wasting my time. Not trying to talk me out of it, are you? Because that's what it sounds like."

"Of course not. We want to cripple Seimei's defenses as much as we can…no sense in taking on a battle you can't win."

Ritsuka nodded. "So why the concern?"

"Can you do it?" Mikado cocked an eyebrow. "If we need Loveless to step in, can he play it off as being you enough that Seimei won't know the difference? Even if Soubi notices it, I doubt he'll say anything. I'm not sure he knows the situation regarding your personality…"

"The only way he'd know is if someone told him, and I know no one's had contact with him since he dropped Minami off at the infirmary with Tai."

She nodded. "He barely said two words. Ironically, when all that dream into real world horror nonsense was going on, he mentioned in passing he had a dream Soubi was ordered to kill him but knocked him unconscious instead. I've done some digging into that Unit we were thinking was behind it. Do you remember?"

"Nightmare. I remember." Ritsuka nodded, flushing.

He'd dreamt that his mother had finally snapped and killed him, and Soubi had erased the memories of everyone that wasn't part of the spell world, so they'd forget about him and thus not have to live in sorrow caused by his death. Only Yuiko had realized something was wrong.

"Their nightmares…hold some truths. They're not all subconscious fears and insecurities coming to life. There's real life parts injected within, as well."

"Which is why you think Soubi put him into a coma and gave him to us in the first place." Ritsuka paused, feeling himself fade into unconsciousness as Loveless quickly swept in to take over. "Are you telling me this entire mission, this entire ploy, is based on assumptions…?"

"Ah, Loveless, we meet face to face at last." Mikado chuckled. "Ritsu being _deceased_ would gather Seimei's attention. No head of Septimal Moon means an open seat and an open opportunity to sweep in and take it."

"Proclaiming Ritsu as murdered is just a formality in case he _did_ order Soubi to kill him." Tokino put in. "its insurance, not assumption."

"Not certain how he feels about this," Loveless tapped their head, "but I think you're a couple of idiots."

"Loveless!" Ritsuka scolded. "They're our friends; be nice!"

"Friends or not, you know this makes very little sense." Loveless answered him aloud. "We say Ritsu was murdered to protect Soubi's ass but may not have had to. We say Ritsu is dead to lure Seimei here, so you can take Soubi back, without knowing for certain if he _did_ bind himself to you instead. There's no ground to stand on. That's why they're concerned, not because they think we can't handle it."

Mikado said nothing, just stared with her lips pressed into a fine line. "If you doubt us, you can back out and we'll handle Seimei on our own."

"You've shown full well that you _can't_." Loveless stated. "You ran away from battle; not won it by defeat of your opponent."

"We finished the battle with Akame and Soubi was told to step in and fight as well. Don't talk about what you weren't there to witness, please." She gave him a pretty smile that went ignored.

"You're no match for Seimei Soubi, and you know that…"

"Ritsuka, control your other self, would you?" Tokino rolled his eyes.

Loveless blinked and Ritsuka took over again. "He has a point." Ritsuka informed, tugging at the end of his shirt. "We don't know what we're getting into fully…if Soubi didn't bind himself to me, then me being here won't do a damn thing…I can't override Seimei's orders if Soubi willingly bound himself to him instead…"

Moonless shared a look.

"That's why you're concerned. If he didn't bind himself to me, you don't think I'll be able to over-ride Seimei…"

"If this doesn't go as planned…we want to make sure you're going to be okay." Mikado paused. "We're not going to let you stay in harm's way, especially without a Fighter," She giggled as Ritsuka slapped the side of his head because Loveless had protested. "But I'm not going to coddle and baby you either. Will you be alright if you don't leave with your Fighter?"

Ritsuka glared. "I believe you got the term wrong." He said, starting to move towards the cafeteria. "But yes. I'll be fine if my _boyfriend_ doesn't come home with me…"

Mikado and Tokino moved to let him pass, sharing a worried glance.

"Do you think we're making a mistake?" Tokino wondered.

"I don't think so, no." Mikado shook her head. "In the end, even if he doesn't get Soubi back…he has Loveless now. This time, he's not going to be alone."

000

Ritsuka was woken from a deep sleep by the school's intruder alarms going off. The sound was very familiar to him, though he'd only heard it once. The first and only time he'd come to Gora with Soubi, Seimei's friends had helped him break in and activated the same alarm. Ritsuka threw the blankets off him and quickly dressed, hopping from one foot to another to get his jeans and socks on properly. He was in the middle of changing his shirt, his name flashing in the moonlight filtering in through the window, when the door opened.

"Ritsuka?" Kio burst in. "What's going…on…?"

They froze, pseudo-father and son staring at one another without saying anything. Kio's eyes were quite obviously on Ritsuka's name. the ravenette recovered first and pulled his shirt on, tugging it down hard to cover his name.

"Intruders, obviously." Ritsuka informed.

"I get that…"

"You okay?" Akira joined Kio, shutting the door behind them. "Something's going on."

"I know." Ritsuka replied. "I was waiting on this." He pulled on one sneaker, tugging the shoe laces extra tight.

"Where do you think you're running off to? Intruders aren't things to be running after." Kio scolded.

"They are when they're Seimei and Soubi." Ritsuka pulled on the other shoe, tying a sloppy knot in that one before shrugging on a jacket he'd stolen from the closet.

Staying in Soubi's childhood dorm had its perks. Like having extra clothes in a pinch.

"I'm sorry…your brother…your _dead_ brother…?" Kio was, ironically, deathly pale at that.

"I don't know why you sound surprised." Ritsuka shrugged one shoulder, easing around the artists. "I mean, where else would Soubi had run off to like he did?"

"You're not going after your dead brother…" Kio paused. "You told us you were going to come home with Soubi."

"I know." Ritsuka's hand paused on the doorknob.

"You're going to go confront your brother and get Soubi home…"

"For the most part, that's it…" Ritsuka paused for a moment. "Don't try and stop me, Kio, and don't tag along either. You two…you'll just get hurt…"

Kio sighed. "We'll be here if you need us…just be careful…and tell Loveless to take care of you."

"The moment I need help, he's got this covered." Ritsuka answered. "Don't worry, Kio, I know what I'm doing."

Oh, how he wished that were true.

000

The dorms were chaos with students rushing to find their other halves in case a fight was to break out and they needed one another. The rest of the academy was in a similar state, the guards running around trying to find the intruders. Ritsuka escaped the madness to get to the old school house, using an underground route from the library that Nana had shown him. He found Mikado, Nagisa, Nana, and Asitai standing with Mirai and Tokino in the main corridors of the school.

"What are you doing out in the open?" Ritsuka wondered.

"Ah, so he joins." Asitai ran a hand through his sleep-messy hair as he smiled softly at the neko. "I was worried we'd have to send for you…"

"No, I came. Kio and Akira came to my room when the alarms went off."

"How much do they know?" nana cocked an eyebrow.

"I knew it was a mistake to have them along…" Nagisa glared at Asitai, who put up his hand in a defenseless manner.

"Just that Seimei's not dead and that I'm taking Soubi home." Ritsuka informed.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, Yoji appeared and smacked him upside the head.

"Hey!" Ritsuka complained, his voice mixing slightly with that of Loveless.

"Great, you broke him." Natsuo teased.

"They know too much now." Yoji glared at Ritsuka. "Can't you keep your mouth shut?"

Ritsuka rubbed his head. "Look, they weren't going to let me go without an answer as to why I'm going to go out chasing intruders in the dark."

"So, you lie! Don't tell them its your dead brother and your boyfriend, moron."

Ritsuka was about to say something, but Nana put up a hand to stop them.

"We don't have time to waste arguing among ourselves." She informed the trio. "Please save the squabble for later when Soubi is here."

Like Ritsuka, she seemed confident he would be able to get Soubi back. Loveless wasn't so convinced, and it was obvious that Moonless thought this was going to end up a waste of time, but it helped that he wasn't the only one that thought it was doable. He knew Zero and Asitai believed in him, as well, but they were his best friends, so that didn't have as much weight.

"We've narrowed down their presence to being in the main school." Nana informed, tapping a headset she used to communicate with the school guards. "Students have been ordered to stay in their rooms. I have a few guards patrolling the dorms for stragglers. I know most of them are probably panicking."

"They were when we were leaving." Ritsuka informed.

She looked confused for a second, as if she'd forgotten Loveless existed, but quickly nodded. "I'm not surprised. Poor things."

" _Any_ way." Nagisa interrupted. "Are you ready, Ritsuka? You and Loveless must perform here. Get close enough to Seimei before making a move and trying to get Soubi back. Can you both handle it?"

Ritsuka nodded. "We got this." He stated. "If I can't handle it, he'll step in. We've practiced switching personalities without alerting others, so it should be easy. He's not expecting two of us…"

"We'll cloak our aruras and be close by." Natsuo offered. "Moonless has offered to do the same., but I'm not sure how crowded you want to be."

"it's fine." Ritsuka waved his hand, having become Loveless while Natsuo was talking. "If things go sour, I'd rather have both of you there to step in."

"If they go wrong, Zero will get you out of there. We'll distract." Tokino stated.

"Alright." Asitai clapped his hands together. "It's show time."


	2. Confrontations

Dlbn: Here's the conclusion to this fic! Merry Christmas, all! I'm in pain from my TMJ (the joint that helps your mouth open and closed. The muscles are inflamed from either stretching too wide or dislocating my jaw somehow) deciding to act up last, and on some pain killers and muscle relaxers, which means I'm too tired to blink, so I'm going to go to bed in a minute or two.

Nbld: No one cares about your problems. Besides, you're only over tired cause you played _Murdered_ for six hours.

Dlbn: I admit to nothing.

Nbld: Time for Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat, The DarkCat, and Irymia for reviewing! Candy for you all!

Promocat: Loveless is going to appear in a few of my stories. This is just a little intro to him as a character. Hopefully Soubi can tell when Ritsuka is being Ritsuka versus someone else.

The DarkCat: Thank you! Yup, they're connected. Ritsuka has to do a lot of practice to be able to switch seamlessly, and it's up to Loveless to know how Ritsuka acts so he can copy him and fool people easier.

Irymia: I'm glad you're enjoying! Ritsu's "death" is in the second chapter (the one after the prologue) of my Halloween fic. Reading that may help. Yes, Ritsuka and Loveless can switch between themselves at will, though at first, they had no idea how to do so and Loveless just showed up when he felt like it. I try to make a fic for every Christmas and Halloween, and for the birthdays of Soubi, Seimei, Ritsuka, and sometimes my fan birthday for Nisei. A new year's one is coming out soon as well!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Akira, and Loveless. Everything canon to Loveless belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off this.

Dedication: Happy birthday, Ritsuka! And Merry Christmas to everyone else! Hope you enjoy the conclusion!

000

Seimei was easy to find. His aura was as suffocating as ever as Ritsuka got a little too close to Minami's on-campus office. The gold plate labeled _principal_ glittered as Ritsuka collected himself and pushed the door open. Zero was in the infirmary at the end of the hall, and Moonless as in a computer room a little way off from there. Loveless had agreed to activate their battle signature if there was trouble, they couldn't get out of alone to alert the others. Their proximity wasn't as comforting as it should have been. There was nothing to say that Nisei or Soubi couldn't see through their cloaking of their names. Ritsuka would have to act as if he didn't know they were around if Seimei brought it up. Being weak and untrained on his own, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he couldn't see through even a simple spell.

Seimei was going through papers from Ritsu's desk, but Ritsuka wasn't sure what he was looking for. Akame was playing on his phone as if he was bored and didn't expect a challenge from the director-less academy. Soubi was staring at a painting hung up on one wall of the office. Ritsuka recognized the style from some earlier paintings of Soubi's that he'd found lying around the apartment. Not much of a surprise that Ritsu would hang onto one of Soubi's paintings for so long, the blond had always been his obsession.

 _Seimei's merry band of miscreants. How_ lovely _._ Loveless chortled.

Ritsuka slowly and silently closed the door behind him, thankful that his aura was weak enough that it didn't attract attention. Still he couldn't help but be surprised no one had seen or heard the door open. He cleared his throat, making Akame jump and almost drop his phone. He fumbled with it for a few seconds before grabbing it firmly and glaring at Ritsuka from under a curtain of raven black too long bangs. Soubi turned quickly as if he expected a fight, but his shoulders relaxed when he saw who it was, and he smiled softly. Seimei's hand froze in between two pages he'd been looking through, but he didn't seem surprised that it was his brother who had interrupted him.

"Ah, Ritsuka!" He greeted cheerfully, flipping the pages so that they lay open where he left off. "I was wondering when you'd be here!"

"You…knew I was here?" Ritsuka wondered, wary of his own brother.

With everything he'd learned, he had a right to be.

"Of course!" Seimei chuckled. "Why wouldn't you be? It's a safe haven for you, isn't it? I mean, you're _all alone_ now."

 _And who's fault is that?_

"O-Oh…"

"And not to mention your little friends are here…Zero, right?" Seimei cocked his head to the side. "Though I'm surprised they don't have someone watching you twenty-four-seven to make sure you're not hurt…"

Ritsuka shrugged one shoulder. "Everyone's out looking for the intruders…I had a feeling it was you…it was you last time…"

"How perceptive." Seimei commented.

"Which means they know we're here, idiot." Nisei scolded his master, shrinking back when Seimei glared and holding his phone up like a shield. "There's no way he just assumed it was us again. Who would go after the same place twice?"

"You…?" Ritsuka wondered, earning a glare from the dark Fighter and a chuckle from Soubi that was quickly silenced by Seimei's stare. "A-Anyway…I came for the funeral…for Ritsu-sensei…"

"We were going to make an appearance, but I'm looking for something, clearly." Seimei gestured to the binder he was flipping through. "Come, have a seat! Relax a little. We have a lot to catch up on. How's school going?"

"School…? You want to ask me about school?" Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow, surprised. "But…Seimei…"

"But what?" He wondered. "Isn't it _normal_ for a big brother to wonder about his little brother's life?"

"Well…yes…but not you…" Ritsuka paused. "I mean, yeah, you before but…not now…you're too concerned with…whatever you're doing…" His eyes landed on the book, trying his hardest not to look at Soubi.

He feared that if he did, his shell would crack, and he'd give too much away like he did with Kio and Akira.

"That hurts. You think I don't care about your safety?"

"You did take me from him…" Soubi paused when Seimei glared at him. "I mean…he's alone now, like you said…turning to the academy isn't the best idea…"

"I didn't turn to them." Ritsuka argued so Seimei couldn't yell. "Yoji and Natsuo are my friends, yeah, but we've got our lives in Tokyo…I want to stay as far away from this fighting stuff as possible."

"Because you're defenseless." Nisei chuckled. "Wow, Seimei, they're right. You don't care about his safety at all."

Seimei glared. "Shut your mouth, you know that isn't true." He sighed. "Ritsuka you know that everything I do is for you."

"How? How is it for me…?" Ritsuka looked away, feigning injury. "You…you faked your own death and left me alone with mother…gave me Soubi to protect me, then took him away and left me alone…" A pause. "You hurt Ritsu-sensei the first time you broke in here…you almost suffocated my friends in the library…how are you doing anything to help me? Everything you've done has only hurt me or one of my friends…"

"You consider Minami a friend?" Seimei cocked his eyebrow. "Surprising…I didn't anticipate that."

"Well…he's not really a friend…a friend of friends, more or less…"

"I see…" Seimei paused before smiling sweetly. "Well, be that as it may, I'm happy you're here. I wondered how long it would be before we saw each other again."

Ritsuka blinked. "I didn't think I would see you again…to be honest…I knew you were here and fought Moonless…I didn't know what happened…I…"

"You know he's faking it, right?" Nisei pointed out. "He knows what happened with Moonless. He knows we're not dead or he wouldn't have come here hoping the intruder was you. What are you after, Loveless?"

"What makes you think I'm after something?" Ritsuka glared. "I just want to talk…"

"Talk my ass."

"Nisei." Seimei scolded.

Soubi just shook his head and rolled his eyes, as if he was used to Nisei going off leash like that.

"Seimei, you can't be this blind, can you? He showed up for the funeral, the intruder alarms go off but no announcement as to who it is, he assumes it's you, and comes here? He's not just some innocent little kid roaming the school and just happened to come upon us. He's got to be up to something by now."

Seimei looked to Ritsuka. "Is he right? Did you plan on us being here?"

"I…had _hoped_." Ritsuka replied. "I mean… know you want to take over, right? That's what everyone's been saying. And now…Ritsu's…." A pause. "What a better time to come and try to overthrow everything? When everything is in chaos…"

Nisei cocked an eyebrow.

"Perceptive." Soubi muttered.

"Very." Seimei agreed, surprising the others in the room. "You just wanted to see me, hm? How sweet."

Ritsuka paused, unsure if he was going to say the right thing or not but blurted out anyway. "Not you…"

Seimei blinked. "I'm sorry? Not me? Then who…?" His and Nisei's eyes slowly went to Soubi, who flushed cherry red and stood stone still. "Ah, Soubi? You missed him, hm? More than your own brother? For shame…"

Ritsuka glared slightly. "The last time I saw you…you broke my heart…"

"Aw, how sweet." Nisei teased. "But last I checked, it was _Agatsuma_ who ran off on you. After such a sweet moment, too."

Ritsuka glared. He didn't much like being made fun of and Loveless was getting annoyed as well. The last thing he needed was to shift personalities now and compromise everything. The entire ploy relied on Seimei believing his brother was alone and harmless. He couldn't know about Loveless yet.

"Quit it." Seimei ordered his Fighter. "He does have a point, though, Ritsuka. Soubi did leave you alone."

"Because you told him to." Ritsuka argued. "You know he doesn't have a choice when you tell him to do things…"

"Ritsuka…" Soubi paused. "I'm sorry…don't be so upset over me…it's not worth it."

"He's right, you know." Seimei pointed out. "Why be hurt over me taking back what's rightfully mine?"

"You act like Soubi's property…he's a person, Seimei, like you or me!"

"You really think that, hm?" Seimei chuckled. "They clearly haven't been teaching you anything in his absence. Fighters belong to us. We don't belong to them."

"We belong _with_ them! We're supposed to be equals, aren't we?"

"Master and servant, at best!" Seimei argued. "Come on, Ritsuka, don't be so naïve. It doesn't suit you…"

Ritsuka didn't respond to that.

"But if you want to talk to him, go right ahead. I won't stop you. He won't leave, though, if that's what you're hoping." Seimei went back to looking over the papers he'd found. "After all, he's bound to me now. There's no changing that."

Soubi grimaced at that, but luckily Seimei wasn't paying attention and Nisei had gone back to applying on his phone, apparently finding the happenings of the rest of the room around him boring.

 _ **Gotcha**_ _._ Loveless told Ritsuka. _**He's not bound to Seimei.**_

 _You can't tell that…_ Ritsuka responded. _He might just be disgusted by the fact that he had to do it._

 _ **So, ask him.**_

 _And blow his cover we've worked so hard to forge? I can't._

 _ **Let me do it. It won't be direct. I'll ask in a way only Soubi would understand.**_

Reluctantly, Ritsuka let his other-self take over.

"Bound…?" Loveless asked. "What…what does that mean…?"

"If one dies, the other does too, really." Nisei spoke up, not looking away from whatever he was doing. "It's a bit more than a traditional bonding of a Sacrifice and a Fighter. You give your entire being over to your master. Blanks do it to solidify their bond. It's an act of desperation, really."

"Excuse you?" Seimei wondered, looking up for a moment.

"On the Fighter's part." Nisei glared over his shoulder at the younger male. "It's only needed when the bond between Sacrifice and Fighter is weak, breakable."

"You really think that of us, Soubi? I'm surprised." Seimei purred.

"It was your idea. What I think is of no consequence." Soubi responded.

Seimei glared.

 _ **The defiance…he's being rather bold with us here, isn't he?**_ Loveless asked Ritsuka as Seimei started to lecture the blond. _**With us here, he's arguing with Seimei. How interesting…**_

 _He was like that when we confronted Seimei in the library the first time. He thought I was in danger and stepped in. Made Seimei mad._ Ritsuka argued. _He's being protective because…_

 _ **Because he loves you.**_

"Seimei." Loveless interrupted. "You…you have two Fighters…you can't blame him for thinking you don't need him…you didn't when you were…you know…supposed to be dead."

Seimei stopped scolding the rather bored looking blond and turned to his brother instead. "I suppose you have a point. But clearly, I need him now. Since Akame can't handle a simple battle."

Nisei glared. "You made me fight alone, bastard." He argued. "I can't take on a Unit on my own."

"He's not wrong." Soubi pointed out. "Even Ritsuka and I defeated him before…"

"Quiet!"

"That's how you got caught here last time?" Seimei shook his head. "Pathetic…"

"Thanks, Agatsuma…" Nisei glowered, sinking further into his chair and popping in headphones.

 _ **Is he seriously acting like a scolded teenager?**_

"But what about me, Seimei? What am I supposed to do?" Loveless hugged himself and looked away. "I'm alone…if I get attacked…I'm defenseless…didn't you think of that when you made Soubi leave…?"

"No one is foolish enough to go after you, even if you're alone. There's no sport in fighting a Sacrifice on his own." Seimei shrugged one shoulder.

 _ **He really doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself…**_

"I've been attacked before…" Loveless bluffed. "If Yoji and Natsuo hadn't been there…"

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Seimei's brow knit together in false concern.

"Just scared…I don't like being alone anymore…I won't go anywhere without them or Yuiko…"

"I see. I'm sorry you went through that, Ritsuka. If I could have prevented it, I would have. But no one will hurt you again. I promise." He glared at Soubi out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you glaring at me for? I only left because you made me…I even asked you why you enjoy hurting him like that…" Soubi backed up a little as a glint came to Seimei's eyes.

"You're being rather vocal, today. I don't think I like it that much. Shut up." Seimei ordered.

"Don't be mean…" Loveless told Seimei. "Please…act how you want when you're home but…I…not in front of me, please…you're acting like the girls at school…"

"Girl trouble, really?" Nisei cocked an eyebrow. "I thought it would be more boy trouble for you…"

"Aren't you listening to music?" Ritsuka wondered.

"Switching songs. The Wi-Fi here sucks."

"Are you seriously attached to the Wi-Fi on your phone right now?" Seimei wondered.

"Yes…?"

The neko groaned as Soubi chuckled, hand politely covering his mouth, so he wouldn't piss off Seimei by being too loud.

"Idiot, get off that. They can see who's connected."

"It won't work without Wi-Fi. I'm out of data."

"And who's fault is that?"

"Yours! The Wi-Fi got shut off because I can't pay it, since I'm too busy doing shit for you for _free_ instead of for clients for actual money to pay the bills. God knows you're not going to do it."

"There is no God here." Seimei replied.

Loveless took advantage of the distraction of the two fighting and got close to Soubi. "You really bound yourself to Seimei? Of all people?"

"It was an order." Soubi replied. "That's all…it means nothing…if I had had a choice…"

"You had a choice." Loveless answered softly. "Please tell me you didn't really choose my brother…"

"I can't answer that…"

"He can't hear you. They're too busy fighting…are they always like this…?"

"More often as of late…Nisei doesn't hang around Fearless anymore because Seimei said so."

"He misses his friend? That's not like him…"

"You're not like you either."

Loveless cocked an eyebrow.

"If you think I can't see through you, you're a fool…"

He flushed. "I'm Ritsuka…you know who I am."

"I'll answer when I get the real Ritsuka back. Thank you…" Soubi pressed his lips together and took an interest in Nisei and Seimei arguing, which seemed to have turned a little physical despite Seimei's distain for touch.

"It's like they're flirting." Loveless commented.

Soubi shrugged a shoulder. "Akame, sure. It's obvious how he feels. Seimei, on the other hand, will deny it until the cows come home…"

"I see. Pathetic…"

Soubi looked down at him. "I suppose it is…"

Loveless sighed and let Ritsuka take over.

"What gave it away?" He wondered, looking up at the blond.

Soubi smiled gently at him, seeming to understand that it was Ritsuka he was talking to once again.

"I know you." Soubi responded.

"Then if you know me, you know what I'm asking…did you bind yourself to Seimei…?"

"I can't answer that…"

"You said it would if it was me."

"Who was I talking to?"

"Loveless, my other personality. Don't make me explain further. Eventually they're going to notice we checked out…"

"I bound myself." Soubi responded.

"To Seimei."

The look in the blonde's eyes told him everything he needed to know. Relief washed over him in waves. Soubi hadn't bound himself to Seimei. He'd chosen Ritsuka. Not Seimei. He couldn't help but feel giddy.

 _ **Be careful. Don't blow it. Watch what you say. You don't know how well they're listening.**_

"Seimei…?" Ritsuka grabbed his brother's attention.

"Yes?" Seimei wondered, hand poised to punch Akame, who had a fistful of Seimei's hair.

"What are you doing…?"

"Huh? Ah…yes…" Seimei ripped Nisei's hand off and stood, brushing off his clothes. "Sorry about that…"

Ritsuka and Soubi just stared. The blond cocked an eyebrow. Nisei simply went back to his phone, playing on it again despite Seimei's orders to get off the Wi-Fi.

"You're acting strange…" Ritsuka told his brother.

"Am I?" Seimei wondered, seeming surprised. "I suppose it's just been that long since we've seen one another that you wouldn't recognize me if you tripped over me."

"I recognize you! Just…"

Soubi's hand tightened on Ritsuka's shoulder. The neko looked up at him.

"He heard us." Soubi stated simply.

"Told you he was up to something." Nisei stated. "You really picked the little brother. I'm dying."

"You will be if you don't shut your mouth."

"You won't do a god damn thing. You need me now." Nisei stuck his tongue out. "Agatsuma can't fight for you anymore. That's why Moonless ended the battle. They realized it before you did! That's rich!"

Seimei chucked a stapler at the dark Fighter's head, but he dodged it. "Shut up." He ordered. "I…had a feeling I was going to be betrayed one day…just…" The dark look in his eyes that landed on Ritsuka and Soubi had the ravenette stepping back in fear and letting Loveless come out, Soubi pushing Ritsuka behind him to defend him. "I never thought it would be either one of you…"

"Then who did you think? Me?" Nisei snorted. "Please."

"Yeah, doesn't make sense that the guy that's in love with him would turn on him in the end." Loveless poked his head out from behind Soubi. "Kind of narrows down the suspect list a bit."

Seimei cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, I thought you'd been acting strangely for a little there." He stated. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ritsuka, Seimei…you know me."

"Mm I would say that I _know_ you, sure. But to claim you're Ritsuka…pardon if I sound as mad as mother for saying this, but you're not Ritsuka. Are you…Loveless…?"

He came out from behind Soubi, folding his arms over his chest. "And here I thought I gave a peak performance. You know how hard it was to learn to be like Ritsuka? Fooled Yuiko once or twice, I admit."

"Not very hard to do…" Soubi muttered.

Loveless rolled his eyes. "How do you know my name?"

"Let's say…I heard it in a nightmare."

Loveless cocked an eyebrow. "I see…I see!" he laughed loudly. "Those nightmares were your doing, weren't they? Only they got you as well…that's kind of funny. Your plan backfired."

Seimei glared. "I had hoped it wasn't true…that there wasn't a second soul inhabiting my brother's body…though I suppose I should have anticipated your betrayal…now it makes sense why Moonless retreated like they did…they knew I was beat. Covering for you, I must admit, is a new thing for the Executioner. She doesn't care much for people beyond herself and that useless Fighter of hers."

"Sounds familiar." Loveless' eyes landed on Nisei.

"Hey!" Nisei stood quickly. "Listen, you…"

"Enough." Seimei ordered. "What is your purpose here?"

"To protect Ritsuka from monsters in the dark…monsters like you." Loveless glared. "Don't think that I don't know all about you, Seimei. Even things Ritsuka kept hidden from himself, the stuff that didn't quite make sense back then…"

"Monster, me?" He put a hand on his chest, feigning injury as he took a step back. "How rude of you. Then again, you're not Ritsuka, so I'm not surprised, I guess…"

Loveless shrugged. "Your words don't cut me as much as they should."

"So, let me guess. You and Ritsuka came all the way here to confront me, knowing I'd come now that Ritsu is dead." Seimei commented. "But for what purpose? Hoping to get a little revenge?"

"I'm here for my Fighter." Loveless told Seimei. "What you do is of no importance to me."

"But Loveless, you can't think I'll just let you walk away."

"I know." Loveless stated. 'Why do you think I came out? I anticipated a battle, Seimei. You're not going to let go so easily, even now that you know that Soubi doesn't belong to you in the slightest."

Seimei chuckled. "You're perceptive. I just hate that it's my own little brother I have to fight."

"That's the thing, though, Seimei." Loveless chuckled, deep and dark. "I'm not your brother."

His battle signature lit up, joining in Seimei's and creating a crushing atmosphere. He tugged at his collar.

"Well, now, this is uncomfortable. I forgot how much alike we are." Loveless chuckled.

"I'm afraid you won't find me an easy opponent, Loveless. I'm not about to let you go without a fight."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Ritsuka, I doubt you can hear me, but if you can…I'm sorry it had to come to this. I don't want to fight you."

Loveless snorted. "He can hear you just fine and be believes your bullshit just about as much as I do."

 _Give it everything you got…we can't let Seimei win…just…please…don't kill him…_

 _ **I'm not in the business of killing, you know this. I'm just going to subdue him. I won't lose to Akame. I'm not weak. Besides, we have Soubi. He can battle. I'll take the damage. When Seimei least expects it, he'll get a nice last hit from me.**_

"I declare a battle of Wordspell." Seimei snapped his fingers at Nisei.

"We accept." Soubi agreed before Loveless could do so.

Whether or not he knew that Loveless was a Fighter or not, at least he was going to step up to the plate. The air around them shifted until they were in a dimly lit battle zone, bright flashes of light swirling around every so often to give a haunting strobe-light look to their faces as they changed back and forth from greens to reds and blues. Loveless looked around. Was this Soubi's battle zone or Seimei's? Or some strange mix of theirs? He'd only fought once or twice against Yoji and Natsuo for practice, and Breathless once as well when fighting Zero became stale. Every fight was different. Maybe it depended on who initiated it. He'd have to ask Soubi when they were in a better position to talk.

"Who's going to start?" Loveless tugged lightly on Soubi's arm. "I've never…you know…actually had to fight before."

A ruse he hoped Soubi could see through but Seimei couldn't.

" _ **Darkness, pierce the hearts of my opponent.**_ " Nisei stated.

"Okay, I guess it's your turn then. Cool. Glad we talked that out." Loveless informed.

Soubi chuckled as Nisei continued his spell.

" _ **Force them to their knees so they no longer stand in my way."**_

Waves of darkness in spectral forms danced their way towards them lazily, obviously not well controlled by the dark Fighter.

"The shadows of Beloved shall not reach the light of Loveless." Soubi countered, the area around the duo filling with light. "Light penetrates the darkness."

"Shadows counter! Reverse the light and blind my opponent from their goal!"

Shadows danced around the light, trying to push through and turn it in on Soubi.

"The light has no effect on those who live within it, Akame." Soubi informed. "Damage is reduced to zero. Chains, bind my enemy to the ground. Do not let them escape your will."

Thick grey chains shot out from Soubi's palm when he held it up, shooting at Beloved like a targeted missile.

"Flames surround and protect. Chains cannot penetrate without being reduced to ash."

Flames licked up from the ground.

"Fire meets metal." Soubi laughed.

"Wow. Did you fail science, Akame? Fire doesn't make metal into ash." Loveless chuckled. "It just makes it hotter."

The tips of the chains glowed white hot as they pierced the flames, stabbing painfully into the wrists of the Beloved unit. Seimei cringed but looked more annoyed then hurt. Nisei bit back a shout, literally biting down on his lower lip. Using his silence as an opportunity, Soubi stretched his arm out, palm facing forward.

"Give up, Seimei. You're not going to win here." Soubi informed. "Neither of you are even trying. Where is the power of Beloved? Certainly not entirely within your Fighter. If you're going to win, you have to participate."

"Seimei's…?"

"he's not lending Akame his power like he's supposed to. He's making him fight on his own. Again."

"Poor little Nisei…" Loveless chided.

"Shut up!" Nisei glared. "I don't _need_ his help. I can do fine on my own!"

"Excuse me?" The protest went unheard by Akame as he countered, another spell dancing off the tip of his tongue.

Soubi countered it quickly, shooting piercing arrows to latch to their ankles, dragging Akame down closer to the ground.

"Would you put some effort into it?" Seimei glared. "I won't lose to a traitor and whatever you call that." He pointed a finger at Loveless.

The Fighter's blood boiled, but he bit back the spell he was going to throw out. That was for the final act. Not for an act of desperation.

"I am not a _that_." Loveless argued. "I am the other side of Aoyagi Ritsuka, the side he keeps to himself."

 _ **And not a manifestation of his negative emotions, damn it. I'm me. Me!**_

 _Calm down! Don't blow this so early! Let Soubi win, deliver the finishing blow yourself. That's what we agreed on! He won't see it coming…_

"Whatever you say." Seimei shrugged the best he could with his wrists and ankles connected by thick chains.

The battle continued for what felt like eternity. Soubi threw out spells, Nisei countered. Nisei failed, Seimei yelled at him. Nisei succeeded, Seimei ignored him. It was routine, boring and repetitive. Loveless tapped his foot, getting impatient with the show. Restrictions in the forms of thick chains and thin bandages wrapped almost entirely around the torsos of Beloved, the thick chains from the start binding their ankles and feet to the ground just enough to hold them but leave them in a standing position. A chain was wrapped around Loveless and Soubi's wrist, where dark roses and thorns from Akame had managed to penetrate their defenses. Akame was panting, one eye closed and blood dripping into it from a cut above his brow from one of his thorns backfiring. Seimei seemed bored, as well, just watching to see how the other two interacted so he could find a weak point to give Akame to stab at.

"He thinks we're weak still." Loveless observed. "Seimei's waiting for an opportunity to divide us."

"We won't let him." Soubi answered. "Our bond is too strong to be broken." He leaned down a little.

Loveless forced Ritsuka out and took his place to rest since he wasn't really needed yet. Ritsuka found himself lurching forward and unintentionally pressing his lips to Soubi's before the blond could make the first move. Though he seemed surprised, Soubi quickly melted into the kiss, wrapping his free arm around Ritsuka's waist. Ritsuka's eyes slid shut as a familiar tongue brushed his lip for entry and was granted the access. It was a spell from Nisei that socked them out of their kiss with a brutal lash from what felt like a whip.

Soubi reached up and grabbed the offending spell in his hand, not caring how it cut into his skin and caused it to bleed. Memories of training with Ritsu flooded back to him and he yanked on the whip.

"Nice try." He informed. "Fire. Destroy the offensive cloth in my hand. Reduce it to ashes!"

"Ah, there it is! That fire, that anger!" Seimei laughed. "As much as you hate to admit it, Agatsuma, you're still Beloved!"

"I renounce my bond with you." Soubi informed, the space around the bond he still shared with Seimei glowing white. "I am no longer Beloved. I fully bind myself to Loveless."

Loveless took that as his cue to return and took over again, stumbling a little as they shifted. "The bond…the bond of Beloved's Aoyagi Seimei and Loveless' Agatsuma Soubi is severed…knife, slice in two!"

The others seemed to be in a mix of confusion and awe as bluish light in the form of a knife slammed down like a guillotine and cut the bond between them in half. Seimei grabbed at his chest like it hurt, like a piece of him was being removed. Soubi grunted, brushing off the ashes of his side of the bond as they fell onto his chest.

"I'm impressed Loveless…" Nisei commented. "A spell…"

"You…?" Seimei wondered.

"That's right. I'm Loveless' Fighter." Loveless smirked. "And as of now…Soubi belongs to us. Soubi, end it!"

"As you wish." Soubi responded, almost robotically. "Fog, wrap my enemies in your embrace. Prevent them from seeing as their world crumbles around them."

"Stone, block…"

"No…Nisei…let it happen…we will lose tonight." Seimei informed his Fighter.

"You're not serious?" Spell forgotten, Nisei turned to Seimei, only to realize that his vision was becoming foggy and his Sacrifice was resigning himself to defeat.

Seimei's head hung low, all desire to fight being drawn out of him as his bond with Soubi flailed about and died as if he didn't want to let go. And he probably didn't. giving up control just wasn't in his blood, his nature. That wasn't who Beloved was. And yet, with everything seeming too bleak around him, he allowed the fog to place one final restriction. The battle zone dissipated and Loveless found himself and the others back in Ritsu's school office. Zero and Moonless were at the door, as if they had been watching the battle that they shouldn't have been able to see. They had probably mistaken the battle signature to be the signal for help instead of the start of a fight.

"Seimei…" Nisei nudged the blankly staring Sacrifice. "We…have company…they're not alone…"

Seimei shook his head to clear the fog that still possessed his mind, eyes still unseeing with wide pupils that blinded out the plum irises into thin lines.

"What…?" He rubbed at one eye and looked toward the door. "Ah, so we've been found. I admit, this is embarrassing. We shouldn't be so easily caught…"

"You gave up." Loveless informed. "You let us win…why…?"

"Ah, no point, I suppose." Seimei shrugged. "Why fight a battle you know you're not going to win?"

"Does that mean you're going to surrender?" Mikado sounded hopeful. "Is it all over, Seimei? Can we go back to our lives and throw yours away in the dungeons?"

The dark Sacrifice laughed. "My dear, it is far from over. In fact, the battle is only beginning." He nodded at Loveless and Soubi. "I look forward to seeing what you can do, Loveless…though I admit, I'm surprised you could conjure like that."

Loveless shrugged, resigning so Ritsuka could take over.

"I'm full of surprises, Seimei…just like you…" He rubbed at a cut on his wrist from the restriction. They normally faded within an hour or so, if that much.

Seimei snapped his fingers and gave his brother a small grin. "Akame. Get us out of here."

"R-Right…" Nisei opened his mouth to produce a spell.

"Let them go." Ritsuka ordered Moonless. "It's not their fight anymore."

"You think after everything he's done, that I should just _forget_?" Moonless gave him an incredulous look.

"They know they've been beat. There's no reason to fight again just for them to leave…"

"A true pacifist." Seimei bowed slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, Ritsuka. Akame? What did I say?"

"Ah…yeah…sandman. Let your dusts of sleep cloud the minds of my enemies and bring them to your land of slumber." Nisei started to spout off a spell.

Tokino started to say something, but Soubi and Zero didn't bother. Ritsuka felt his eyelids become heavy as Soubi's grip tightened when his knees started to give away. They slumped gently to the floor. The last thing he saw before his eyes shut were two sets of feet walking away, Seimei leading his ever-faithful dog out of the room that may as well have been their downfall.

0000

"Where am I?" Ritsuka wondered.

"isn't it obvious?" Loveless asked. "Your subconscious."

Ritsuka turned to find his other half perched on a rock. They were in a woodsy clearing, nothing but a few pine trees, some tall grass, and scatter boulders taking up the space. It was a safe space Katsuko-sensei had helped him forge-so to speak-in his mind when everything got to be too much, and he just needed to escape to relax. Loveless looked just like him, though his hair was parted differently, and his eyes held some sort of darkness in them that mimicked Seimei's but wasn't as evil. He had a few scars on him from their battle with Beloved as well, and he looked worn out from shifting back and forth.

"Hope you don't mind the shift earlier. I thought it would be rude of me to steal your kiss. Soubi's your boyfriend, not mine."

"As long as we inhabit the same body, he's your boyfriend, too…"

Loveless laughed. "I believe that's called polygamy."

Ritsuka laughed back, the sound echoing off the space. Loveless' voice was slightly deeper than his, hardened by all the anger and hurt that he did possess and try to take from Ritsuka when things got to be too much sometimes. They rarely were able to inhabit the same space.

"We're going to merge one day." Loveless began, stretching out from how he'd been sitting on the boulder. "Do you want to wait, or shall we just do it now and spare us the pain?"

"It…would be weird to not have you around…"

"Oh no, you're getting attached." He threw himself back over the rock, being overdramatic as he tended to be at the worst times in the beginning.

"Shut up!" Ritsuka ordered, making him laugh. "Don't make fun of me, Loveless."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. Look, we won." He sat up. "You have your boyfriend back, Seimei's admitted his own defeat…"

"For now."

"For now." He nodded. "We can go back to the dorm and tell Kio and Akira that everything is okay, and their worry was misplaced. We can go back to our normal lives. Soubi's bond with Seimei is no more. If you couldn't tell, Soubi feels no loss. Whereas Seimei…"

"He didn't want to give up control. I think there was a part of him that still didn't believe that Soubi had bound himself to me."

"Probably thought he was trying to placate you or some nonsense. He's so egotistical to think that no harm will ever come to him."

"That's Seimei for you."

A chuckle, then silence.

"It's almost time to wake up." Loveless informed.

"I know."

"I'll stay here until you need me." Loveless informed. "I won't interfere with your life while you and blondie get all familiar with each other again. Just don't chicken out when you get rid of your ears and expect me to take over for you, because I just may not let him have you back."

"Hentai! I'm not going to do that!" Ritsuka pouted, ears flat.

"Liar. One day you will. Accept it."

"Fine, when I'm older. But not now…"

Loveless nodded and stood, hopping off the rock and joining Ritsuka. "It was good to meet you in person, or not, but our time is up."

"I know. It's time to go back to the real world."

"You did it."

"We did it."

"Yes…we."

Loveless held out a hand. "Until next time, Ritsuka."

"You're not leaving me, are you?"

"No. I'm just going to take a vacation. We've been through a lot. I don't need our psyche splitting up again."

"I know."

"Did you know, Ritsuka? When we merge, the old you may come back."

"My therapist thinks you're not real."

"You know I am." Loveless growled.

Ritsuka took the hand and shook it. "Thank you…for everything, Loveless. I'll never forget this."

"And if you do, I'll be here to make sure you remember."

"Deal."

They shook their hands once, staring at one another as both realized they were looking back at themselves in the other's face. Ritsuka smiled.

"Goodbye."

000

When Ritsuka came to, Soubi was kneeling over him looking concerned that he'd bene out so long. Yoji and Natsuo were inspecting one another as if they'd hurt themselves on their fall into dreamland. Mikado was sitting on a desk, looking both pleased and annoyed as Tokino rubbed his one eye and yawned. For someone who spontaneously fell asleep on his own from narcolepsy, he was probably used to cycles of abrupt waking and falling asleep. The others, not so much. At least Soubi had protected his head before he went crashing down. He didn't need _another_ accident to steal his memory away.

"Long time no see…" Ritsuka joked, letting Soubi help him sit up and hold him.

"I was worried. You were taking a while." Soubi informed.

"Loveless and I were talking."

"So there really is another you living in there then." Mikado stood. "I mean, I'm not as bold as your therapist to say that you're just making it up to save your own skin, but I'm not so certain I believe in the psychology of it all."

Ritsuka shrugged. "That's your business, then."

She stood, brushing off her skirt. "I think it's best we go our separate ways. Your friends are probably worried sick about you."

"Friends?" Soubi cocked an eyebrow.

"Ah. Yeah, I should have warned you about that…"

000

Kio almost knocked Soubi to the floor when the door to the dorm opened and Ritsuka shoved the blond in first.

"Kio!" Soubi complained, leaning on a wall for support while Ritsuka laughed and skirted around them.

"You idiot! I thought you were dead! You just left for no reason! How could you!" Kio punched his shoulder.

"Stop it!" Soubi complained, wrestling the other away from him. "Of course, I'm not dead! Why would I be?"

"You were with Seimei! That's as close to death as I'd ever be comfortable being!"

"He has a point." Ritsuka pointed out.

"Not helping." Soubi stated.

"I know."

"So Seimei let you go, hm?" Akira wondered. "I'm a bit surprised. From what I've heard of him, I can't imagine he likes letting things go."

"He has no choice." Ritsuka pulled up Soubi's shirt to show where his name was now placed. "Soubi's mine now."

"I've always been yours." Soubi admitted, kneeling to take Ritsuka's hand and kiss the knuckles. "I wouldn't have bound myself to you otherwise."

"I know that." Ritsuka huffed.

"Bound?" Kio wondered.

Ritsuka and Soubi shared a look. "Hey, Kio…" Soubi paused. "You never got to go to the hot springs, did you…?"

000

A month after all the chaos had died down, Ritsuka and Soubi returned to Gora to check up on Ritsu. He was still in the hospital at school connected to various monitors, but he was awake when they entered the room.

"I was murdered, hm?" Ritsu asked, thrusting the newspaper at Soubi.

"That wasn't my idea." Soubi huffed. "Ask the others."

"Sorry, sensei. We had to lure Seimei here."

"So, you faked my death?"

"He thought Soubi killed you. If he knew he didn't, he would have…" Ritsuka shook his head. "I don't want to think about how he may have reacted…"

"I suppose…if you used my apparent death to save Soubi's ass, I'm okay with it." Ritsu chuckled

"Get those perverted thoughts out of your head, old man, or I'll put you in a coma again." Soubi warned.

"My, my. Someone's gotten bold. Talking back, how rude." Ritsu frowned. "Where's that obedient little boy I grew to love so much, hm?" He caressed Soubi's chin.

"Don't do that." Soubi brushed him away, pulling Ritsuka close and wrapping his arms around him.

Ritsuka stuck his tongue out.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense, I guess." Ritsu cocked an eyebrow. "But Soubi, shouldn't you be with Seimei?"

Soubi lifted his shirt to show off his new name, Ritsuka doing the same to prove it was in the same spot. Ritsu cocked an eyebrow. "So, Mikado was right…you bound yourself to him."

"You figured that out?" Ritsuka wondered.

"If he hadn't, his name wouldn't be an exact copy of yours." Ritsu explained. "And you'd have to write it yourself."

"Oh…" Ritsuka flushed. "No one tells me anything around here…"

Soubi chuckled. "I'll explain when we're home. So, I can show you properly." He nipped lightly at Ritsuka's neko ear, making him push him away slightly.

"Stop that." Loveless' voice merged with his for a moment, surprising Soubi and confusing Ritsu.

"What in the hell was that?" The sensei wondered.

Ritsuka laughed. "I'll explain when you're older."

Ritsu glared, making Soubi laugh as Ritsuka snuggled into the warmth of his arms.

"Is Seimei gone?"

"Defeated for now, yes. But he'll be back. He all but said he was going to be." Soubi nodded.

"He let you go without a fight?"

"Oh, there was a fight."

"You won?"

A nod.

"Good." Ritsu sighed, laying back against the pillows. "So now I have to play dead."

"Can't be that hard." Ritsuka smirked. "After all, Seimei got away with it for three years. I'm sure you can, too."


End file.
